looking to buy complete intergrated bc package

[richgross]

hi all, im new to diving, certified open water, want to dive regularly, but most places don't have dive bc large enough for me, im 340lbs need to loose a couple, and have a very large chest, 52-54 inch, want something to fit comfortable, and still be stylish. do not want to buy used, new only, i have looked at many online locations, and also local dive shops. i can understand the need to support local dive shop but their markup price is out of my spending limits. thanks everyone for your responses...

 

[MikeFerrara]

I'm not sure exactly what the question is but there are probably several bc options for some one your size. The first that comes to mind is a bp/wing since you can use as much webbing to construct the harness as you need.

We have some older Zeagle conceopts that we used to use for rentals. They have a HUGE amount of adjustment and we've gotten them on some very large people. I don't know if zeagle still makes an equivilant but when I had a shop we baught them just for that reason. With other BC's, I might have had to have 20 of them to be able to suit up 6 divers (depending on the sizes needed) but with these, I was able to suit up more divers without having to purchase nearly as much equipment.

I don't know about stylish. I wouldn't wear either out on the town. They are for diving and I've never heard a fish complain about the way we looked.

 

[DPJ]

Talk to Larry at ScubaToys. A couple options come to mind, Zeagle with all of their optional components. Dive Rite TransPac or back plate and wing.

 

[TheRedHead]

And the BP/W is stylish!

 

[Namchief]

Your just south of stevens point and there is a zeagle dealer there. I am about 3.5-4 hours north of you in Cable. I am a larger guy and wouldnt mind letting you try my BCD on if your in the area. Let me know

 

[oconnor69]

I know a VERY large chap that has just bought an Oceanic BCD which fits him.

 

[TheRedHead]

I don't really like package deals because I ended up changing everything I bought the first time. In hindsight, I would read scubaboard for at least a year before buying anything.

 

[loosebits]

I don't really like package deals because I ended up changing everything I bought the first time. In hindsight, I would read scubaboard for at least a year before buying anything.

Yep, I've gone through 3 iterations of my kit. Started out with a stab jacket in 1996 (I didn't even know BP/W's existed). Bought my first bp/w in '03, it was a Zeagle setup, I knew it wasn't an ideal solution (Zeagle has a funky wing mounting system) but it was a hell of a deal. Later went to doubles, used the Zeagle plate with a DR wing. Sold off the Zeagle plate and wing for a 16" Koplin (I'm 6'5") and got a Oxycheq 18# wing for singles. I think I'm pretty much done replacing gear.

So, what's the moral of this story? Don't buy anything for a long time. Make sure you try a stab jacket, a back-inflate BC and a BP/W before you decide on one (but I agree with your size, a bp/w will probably be your best bet). If you ever plan on diving doubles for any reason, a bp/w or a transpac type setup is the only reasonable way to go.

 

[GLENFWB]

So, what's the moral of this story? Don't buy anything for a long time. Make sure you try a stab jacket, a back-inflate BC and a BP/W before you decide on one (but I agree with your size, a bp/w will probably be your best bet). If you ever plan on diving doubles for any reason, a bp/w or a transpac type setup is the only reasonable way to go.[/quote]

I am in the same situation (new diver looking for what some of you experienced guys say is the best setup). I keep hearing a lot of you mention BP/W....can you elaborate on this a little more? I have done some web searches on this and it seems like it is a very stream-lined approach to diving as oppossed to some of the full vests I have seen at my LDS. Does this setup have the same kind of BCD that we see in the vests like the ScubaPro Knighthawk I tried on the other day? What do you do about weights? Sorry for all the questions but can't seem to find much on the internet explaining this. All the online places seem to promote vests or some variation thereof.

 

[loosebits]

I think we have a little terminology problem here: the BCD is the whole ball of wax, I think what you are calling the BCD is really just the bladder/wing. Anyway, here are some good photos of wings: http://www.oxycheq.com/Wings.html Notice they either come in a horseshoe style or doughnut style. Doughnut style is the most popular for single tanks but they seem to be catching on for doubles. Here is how a BP/W works: The plate goes closest to the diver and has a harness threaded through it. Behind the plate goes the wing and then behind that is the tank. There are many methods for securing the tank and the wing to the plate but the most popular is the single tank adapter. Its a long metal bracket that has slots in it for a pair of cam bands and a couple of bolts on the other side. The cam bands secure the tank and the bolts go through holes in the wing and then holes in the plate and are wingnuts are used to hold it all together. No, the bolts don't poke you in the back.

As far as weights, with a stainless steel plate you won't need nearly as much but there are a lot of different options out there, more than I want to really go into (check the BC forum).

I know you don't see them much online. That's probably because despite what you read on SB, they are still a fairly small peice of the market but they are still out there. Check out

http://diveriteexpress.com http://www.deepseasupply.com/
http://www.salvodiving.com/http://edts.org/
There are about 50 other sites but those come to mind off the top of my head (as well as the site I pointed you to for the images).